1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shift lever apparatus which is provided in a vehicle for the operation of changing a shift range of a gearbox.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a floor shift-type shift lever apparatus provided between a driver""s seat of a vehicle and the front passenger""s seat, a shift lever for operation is provided at a position which is further toward the front passenger""s seat than a central portion in the left-right direction (widthwise direction) of the vehicle between the driver""s seat and the front passenger""s seat. Furthermore, characters or the like corresponding to the respective shift ranges of an automatic gearbox are formed further toward the driver""s seat than a region at which the shift lever passes through a housing of the shift lever apparatus. Furthermore, at the driver""s seat side of the shift lever, there are provided members such as a detent plate, a shift-lock plate, a shift lock solenoid, and the like which form a so-called shift lock mechanism, which is a mechanism for locking the shift lever so that the shift lever cannot be operated from a parking position which is a shift position of the shift lever corresponding to a parking range for locking the drive wheels of the vehicle, except for under a predetermined condition, such as when the braking pedal is depressed.
Even with the same vehicle types which have the same basic specifications, there are available a so-called xe2x80x9cright-hand drive vehiclexe2x80x9d in which the driver""s seat is provided on the right side of the vehicle relative to the front passenger""s seat and a so-called xe2x80x9cleft-hand drive vehiclexe2x80x9d in which the positions of the driver""s seat and the front passenger""s seat are located opposite to their positions in a xe2x80x9cright-hand drive vehiclexe2x80x9d. In the xe2x80x9cright-hand drive vehiclexe2x80x9d and the xe2x80x9cleft-hand drive vehiclexe2x80x9d, the positions of the shift lever and the respective members of the shift-lock mechanism are located opposite to each other at the left and right sides of the vehicle transverse direction center. However, with the conventional shift lever apparatus, a case or the like for accommodating the detent plate and the shift-lock mechanism is usually made integral in advance with a base for supporting the shift lever. Thus, even though their basic functions are the same, each of the members forming the shift lock mechanism and the like is made in a different configuration or the like for the xe2x80x9cright-hand vehiclexe2x80x9d and the xe2x80x9cleft-hand vehiclexe2x80x9d, in consideration of the arrangement position thereof or the like. As a result, even when the basic specifications are the same, two types of each part must be prepared: one for use in a xe2x80x9cright-hand drive vehiclexe2x80x9d and the other for use in the xe2x80x9cleft-hand drive vehiclexe2x80x9d.
An object of the present invention is to provide a shift lever apparatus whose basic members can be commonly used both in a right-hand drive vehicle and a left-hand drive vehicle.
The shift lever apparatus according to the present invention includes a shift lever connected to a gearbox of a vehicle, the shift lever, by being shift-operated to a predetermined shift position, changing a shift range to a predetermined shift range which corresponds to the predetermined shift position, among a plurality of shift ranges set at the gearbox; a rod integrally moved together with the shift lever within the shift lever due to shift-operation of the shift lever, the rod having a projection portion which is movable with respect to the shift lever due to a releasing operation and which projects toward an outer side of the shift lever; a detent member through which the projection portion penetrates and enters into the detent member, the detent member being at the same time, located opposite the projection portion along a direction in which the projection portion moves as the shift lever is shift-operated, the detent member having a detent hole formed therein, a restricting portion formed on the detent hole which can be avoided by a releasing operation; and a base member supporting the shift lever in a pivotable manner, the base member having a first holding portion holding the detent member on one side of the shift lever and having a second holding portion holding the detent member on the opposite side of the shift lever, the base member being made substantially integral with the detent member by the detent member being in at least one of the first holding portion and the second holding portion.
With the shift lever apparatus which is formed in the manner described above, when the shift lever is shift-operated to the predetermined shift position, the shift range of the gearbox is changed to a shift range corresponding to the shift position. Furthermore, in a state in which the shift lever is located at a specific shift position, the projection portion of the rod, which enters into the detent hole formed in the detent member, is located opposite to the restricting portion along the direction in which the projection portion moves as the shift lever is shift-operated to another shift position. Movement of the projection portion is limited by the restricting portion, and the shift-operation of the shift lever to another shift position is indirectly restricted. This restricted state cannot be released unless the projection portion is relatively moved with respect to the shift lever due to a releasing operation. As a result, inadvertent shift operation from the specific shift position can be suppressed.
In the shift lever apparatus according to the present invention, the first holding portion and the second holding portion are respectively formed on the base member which supports the shift lever. The detent member and the base member are made integral by the detent member being held either in the first holding portion or in the second holding portion. Here, in the state in which the detent member is held in the second holding portion, the relative positions of the detent member and the shift lever are opposite to those in a state in which the detent member is held in the first holding portion. Consequently, the shift lever apparatus according to the present invention, can be applied both to a xe2x80x9cright-hand drive vehiclexe2x80x9d and a xe2x80x9cleft-hand drive vehiclexe2x80x9d depending on which of the first holding portion and the second holding portion the detent member is held in. In this way, the detent member and the base member can be used in both a xe2x80x9cright-hand drive vehiclexe2x80x9d and a xe2x80x9cleft-hand drive vehiclexe2x80x9d.
Preferably, the shift lever apparatus according to the present invention includes an engaging member provided inside the detent member and engageable with the projection portion penetrating through the detent member and in an engaged state, the engaging member moving along with relative movement of the projection portion with respect to the shift lever; and a shift lock device which provided at the detent member and restricting movement of the engaging member with respect to the projection portion, which movement accompanies the releasing operation, the shift lock device locking the projection portion indirectly via the engaging member.
In the shift lever apparatus which is formed in the above manner, when the shift lever is located at a specific shift position and the projection portion which has entered into the detent hole is engaged with the engaging member provided at the inner side of the detent member, the engaging member moves together with the rod which moves due to the releasing operation. Restricting the movement of the engaging member by the shift lock device restricts the movement of the projection portion (rod) due to the releasing operation. Consequently, in this state, the releasing operation cannot be carried out, and the state of the projection portion and the restricting portion being opposed to each other cannot be cancelled. As a result, inadvertent shift operation from the specific shift position can be suppressed even more.
Here, the engaging member is provided inside of the detent member, and the shift lock device is also provided at the detent member. Thus, the above-described effects are achieved regardless of whether the detent member is held is the first holding portion or the second holding portion. Consequently, in this shift lock device, the shift lock device and the engaging member, as well as the detent member and the base member, can be used both in a xe2x80x9cright-hand drive vehiclexe2x80x9d and in a xe2x80x9cleft-hand drive vehiclexe2x80x9d.
Preferably, the shift lock device according to the present invention also comprises an elastic member having a base end side fixed to the shift lever and distal end side pressing against the detent member with a spring force, the distal end side being moved along the detent member in the pressed state when the shift lever is shift-operated; and an adjustment hole which is formed in the detent member and into which the distal end of the elastic member enters due to resilient force of the elastic member in a state in which the hole is located opposite to the distal end of the elastic member in a state in which the shift lever is located at the predetermined shift position.
According to the shift lever apparatus which is structured in the manner described above, when the shift lever is shift-operated to the predetermined shift position, the distal end side of the elastic member provided at the shift lever enters into the adjustment hole which is formed in the detent member. The impact generated at the time when the elastic member enters into the control member is transmitted to the hand or the like of an operator so that the operator can confirm the shift position of the shift lever without a visual confirmation thereof.
By the way, in the case where plural adjustment holes are formed in correspondence to the respective shift positions, an interval between respective adjustment holes corresponds to a movement amount of the projection portion of the rod which moves in the detent hole as the shift lever is shift-operated. As a result, the configuration and the position of the detent hole, the position of the shift lock device, and the positions of the adjustment holes correspond to each other. Here, in the present shift lever apparatus, since the adjustment holes are formed in the detent member, the configuration and position of the detent hole, the position of the shift lock device, and the intervals between and formed positions of the adjustment holes can be formed at the time the detent member is formed. In this way, at the time the respective members are being assembled together, relative errors between the configuration or position of the detent hole, the position of the shift lock device, and the distances between or the formed positions of the adjustment holes can be suppressed or prevented.